MOBILE, Ala. — LeFlore gave up a touchdown on the game’s opening drive Friday night and then did not allow another point until the game was long decided. The Class 4A Rattlers answered an early deficit with 37 unanswered points and beat Class 6A Alma Bryant 44-14 on their home field, snapping a two-game skid and picking up their fourth win of the season.
Senior receiver Ryion Austin caught two long touchdown passes, running back Khale Perine rushed for two scores, and a defense that forced three turnovers added a touchdown of its own on Tamrio Rowser’s fumble return. By halftime, LeFlore led 37-7.
The Rattlers improved to 4-2. Alma Bryant dropped to 1-5.
At a Glance
- Final: LeFlore 44, Alma Bryant 14
- Where: LeFlore Magnet High School, Mobile
- Halftime: LeFlore 37, Alma Bryant 7
- Records: LeFlore 4-2; Alma Bryant 1-5
- Top performers: Ryion Austin, 3 catches for 131 yards and 2 TDs; Khale Perine, 12 carries for 73 yards and 2 TDs
- Turnovers forced by LeFlore: 3
- Next: LeFlore hosts Vigor on Thursday (Class 4A, Region 1); Alma Bryant hosts Fairhope (Class 6A, Region 1)
An Early Stumble, Then a Flood
The night started poorly for the home team. A bad LeFlore punt handed the Hurricanes excellent field position on their first possession, and Alma Bryant needed only a short drive to cash in. Makai Vongsengphachanh scored on a 1-yard run, and the visitors led 7-0.
First-year LeFlore coach Jonathan Mitchell said the defense deserved credit for what happened after that.
“We gave them a short field to begin with, but our defense responded over and over all night,” Mitchell said.
It did. Over the rest of the first half, the Rattlers scored 37 consecutive points, a run built on explosive plays through the air, steady work on the ground and a defense that repeatedly took the ball away.
Austin Burns the Secondary
Austin supplied the two biggest plays on offense.
The first was an 84-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joseph Robinson. The second came on a bit of trickery, as fellow receiver Vincent Ruggs threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Austin.
Austin finished with three catches for 131 yards and two touchdowns, and he said he saw an opening in how the Hurricanes’ defensive backs were playing.
“I noticed their defenders’ eyes were in the backfield a lot,” Austin said. “I just raced past them, getting open in the secondary.”
Austin has been LeFlore’s top big-play threat all season. Entering Week 4, the senior had 13 receptions for 341 yards and four touchdowns, an average of more than 26 yards per catch. Friday’s performance added to a résumé built on getting behind defenses.
Mitchell said the passing game set the tone.
“We had some great execution on passing plays that really got us down the field quickly. We were able to capitalize on almost every possession,” Mitchell said.
The Play of the Game
The swing play came just three snaps after Austin’s 84-yard touchdown. LeFlore’s defense jarred the ball loose from an Alma Bryant ball carrier, and Rowser scooped it up and raced 26 yards to the end zone. The score, the game’s only defensive touchdown, pushed LeFlore’s lead to 20-7.
Two touchdowns in a span of a few plays turned a competitive game into a comfortable one, and the Rattlers never let the Hurricanes back in. LeFlore’s defense finished with three forced turnovers.
Perine and the Ground Game
While Austin provided the fireworks, the Rattlers also pounded away on the ground. LeFlore scored three rushing touchdowns: Perine on runs of 1 and 2 yards and Jataurs Morrissette on a 4-yard run.
Perine carried 12 times for 73 yards. Afterward, he credited the team’s focus and hinted at a change in the program’s mood.
“I think we were just prepared tonight, not looking ahead, just focused on the game in front of us. It’s definitely a different atmosphere around here now,” Perine said.
For Alma Bryant, Vongsengphachanh scored both of the Hurricanes’ touchdowns on the ground.
A Different Atmosphere at LeFlore
Perine’s comment about the atmosphere has a lot of history behind it.
LeFlore went through a long dry spell in football. The Rattlers scored just 85 points in all of 2021, 73 in 2022 and 87 in 2023. This fall, they topped all three of those totals in their first three games alone.
Under Mitchell, LeFlore opened the season with three straight wins: a come-from-behind 22-16 victory over Robertsdale, a 28-27 win over Davidson and a 38-0 shutout of Satsuma. It was the program’s first 3-0 start since 2004.
Then came the hard part of the schedule. Orange Beach, in a meeting of unbeaten Class 4A, Region 1 teams, won 27-7 on LeFlore’s field on Sept. 11. A week later, the Rattlers lost 22-20 at Citronelle in a game widely viewed as a fight for position in the region’s playoff race.
Friday’s win stopped that slide and gave LeFlore four victories with four regular-season games still to play. Four wins already matches the program’s best total in more than a decade.
Mitchell’s Early Message
Mitchell has been careful all season to keep expectations grounded. Before the Orange Beach game, with his team sitting at 3-0, he said the Rattlers were exactly where they had planned to be.
“We are where we worked to be,” Mitchell said then. “When we looked at our schedule this summer, we thought we had a chance to be here. Now, we have to make sure our guys stay humble and keep competing. We have to take care of our business, cut down on penalties and try to run the ball better.”
He also described a roster with a high ceiling, provided it handled the details: limiting penalties and stopping the run. Friday offered evidence on both fronts. The Rattlers ran for three touchdowns, and after the opening drive their defense kept Alma Bryant out of the end zone until the outcome was settled.
About LeFlore
John L. LeFlore Magnet High School sits on St. Stephens Road in Mobile’s Toulminville neighborhood. The school opened in 1968 as Toulminville High School and was later renamed for John L. LeFlore, a Mobile civil rights leader and NAACP organizer.
Its magnet program emphasizes advanced communication and fine arts, and the school is widely known for its “Mighty Marching Rattler Band.” Its alumni include NBA center DeMarcus Cousins, U.S. Rep. Shomari Figures and former Auburn receiver Lawyer Tillman, who scored the winning touchdown in the 1986 Iron Bowl and was a second-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in 1989.
A Tough Season for Alma Bryant
For Alma Bryant, Friday continued a difficult stretch. The Hurricanes, who compete in Class 6A, Region 1, have allowed 40 or more points in three of their six games.
Several of their losses have been painfully close. On Sept. 10, Alma Bryant ran for 367 yards but lost 28-26 to Foley at homecoming, undone by a blocked field goal, a blocked extra point, an intercepted two-point try and turnovers near the goal line. Earlier, the Hurricanes fell 42-21 to Daphne.
Alma Bryant High School opened in 1998 in Irvington, off State Highway 188 between Grand Bay and Bayou La Batre. It was created by combining Alba High School and Grand Bay High School and is named for Alma Bryant, a longtime south Mobile County educator who taught at both schools. The Hurricanes wear blue and white.
Why a 4A Win Over a 6A Opponent Matters
The Alabama High School Athletic Association groups public schools by enrollment. Under the reclassification that took effect this school year, public schools are split into six classes, 1A through 6A, while private schools compete for their own championships in two separate classifications. Class 6A, the largest, includes only 32 schools.
That means LeFlore beat a school from the state’s biggest classification by 30 points. Because the game was a nonregion contest, it will not change the Class 4A, Region 1 standings, but it provides a boost of confidence for a team about to enter the most demanding part of its schedule.
What’s Next
The Rattlers get little time to celebrate. LeFlore hosts No. 3 Vigor on Thursday in a Class 4A, Region 1 game. The Wolves are coming off a 20-10 road win over Class 5A No. 5 Benjamin Russell on Friday, a game in which Vigor’s defense held the Wildcats to 25 rushing yards and did not allow a third-down conversion.
That sets up a direct test: a LeFlore offense that produced 37 straight points and a pair of 80-plus-yard plays against one of the state’s best defenses, led by Texas commit Jabarrius Garror and Auburn commit Isaac McNeil.
Region 1 has been as unforgiving as any in Class 4A this season, with No. 1 Williamson, Orange Beach, Vigor and Citronelle all competing with LeFlore for playoff position. With two region losses already, the Rattlers can ill afford another.
Alma Bryant returns to Class 6A, Region 1 play at home against Fairhope next week.
Touchdowns at a Glance
- Alma Bryant (2): Makai Vongsengphachanh, two rushing touchdowns, including a 1-yard run on the opening drive
- LeFlore passing (2): Joseph Robinson to Ryion Austin for 84 yards; Vincent Ruggs to Austin for 29 yards
- LeFlore rushing (3): Khale Perine from 1 and 2 yards; Jataurs Morrissette from 4 yards
- LeFlore defense (1): Tamrio Rowser, 26-yard fumble return
By the Numbers
LeFlore’s fourth win of the season marked a milestone for the program: 2013 was the last time the Rattlers won four games in a season. LeFlore’s defense forced three turnovers on the night, while Alma Bryant has now allowed 40 or more points in three of its six games.